Hard to Get
by Yamadori
Summary: Blue Dragon Anime; pre, during and post-series. Late birthday present for Ultimashadow. Companion oneshot of "All in Good Time". Five times Bouquet attempts to kiss Shu, and one time she doesn't.


**To all: Hello, everyone! I apologize for the lack of updates – I had expected to be done with this, and then **_**Yami no Himitsu**_**, weeks ago, but obviously that didn't happen. The reason is mostly a combination of the following – I was dissatisfied with everything I attempted to write for **_**Hard to Get**_**, and ended up erasing it immediately afterwards; my mind being practically eaten up by several new story ideas (particularly, but not exclusively, **_**Serendipity**_** – see profile); and lastly, but far from the least, my life essentially falling apart a little more day by day (I **_**could**_** go into it, but honestly, I'm trying to use writing to **_**distract**_** me from it). But, anyways – there's one more note I should be leaving, I think.**

**To Ultimashadow: First off – **_**I am so sorry this is late**_**. A real-life scenario: On the evening of March 15th, I stopped in the middle of writing **_**Yami no Himitsu**_** and thought to myself, "Wait… If my birthday is tomorrow, then that means Ultimashadow's birthday was… yesterday." Which led to me promptly dropping everything having to do with the next "official" update of mine and scrambling to come up with an idea for your present. It actually took me over a week to settle on an idea – what eventually prompted me was looking at your profile and seeing the summary of **_**Moonlight**_** (still waiting eagerly, and very much looking forward to the day it and **_**Sunlight**_** are finally published), and decided to make a companion oneshot to Kasumi's present, **_**All in Good Time**_**, in Bouquet's perspective instead of Shu's****. So… It took me around (closer to over) a month and a half to get this finished, but I hope you enjoy it anyway! :)**

**Note: The new scene dividers are, for the time being, specific to these "five thing"-type oneshot-things. I didn't want to use something as big as the site's horizontal line, since the Roman numerals are supposed to kind of do that anyway. But these particular snippets had seperate scenes in them that I needed to break up, and so that's why the new dividers are there. I kind of like them, actually, so I might find another way to use them in other projects.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Blue Dragon or Blue Dragon: Tenkai no Shichi Ryuu. **_**I**_** don't know what else I'm supposed to say. D:**

_I._

Bouquet feels a bit of trepidation twisting up her stomach. Today is the day that they'll infiltrate Nene's base - and, subsequently, face Nene himself. She has reason to be nervous - she hasn't been with the group for very long, and though Zola has tried, there hasn't been much time to train Bouquet, so she'll be going into a big battle - the _biggest_ - without much experience, and already as the undeniably second-weakest of the team. (And the only reason she's stronger than Kluke is that the other girl doesn't even _have_ a Shadow... They're going to die, aren't they?)

Bouquet shuts her eyes, forcing her nerves to _calm down_. Inexperienced at fighting she may be, but she's been using her Shadow for four years. She has yet to find anyone who knows their Shadow as well as she knows her Hippo-chan (expect Zola, since she's possibly had hers longer and is just really cool anyway, and possibly Rogi, though Bouquet is only going by what the others have said since she's never seen the General seriously using Valkyrie before). She can _do_ this.

... Though doing it and _not_ dying might be a bit of a stretch...

"Alright, everyone," Zola's voice snaps her out of her thoughts. "If all the preparations are complete, we should get moving." Zola pauses, eyebrows furrowing as she looks around. "Where is Shu?"

"Oh, um," Kluke waves her hand in a roughly westward direction. "He... needed a minute. To himself."

Bouquet looks the way that Kluke indicated. She hears Jiro scoff, but doesn't wait around to hear the rest - she sets off in pursuit of her Darling, ignoring Zola's call to her.

~.~.~.

She finds him near a ragged cliff, sitting on a rock and staring at the mountainous expanse in front of him. Bouquet finds herself hesitating, but knocks the top of her head with a fisted hand - there's no reason for her to be waiting around. Kluke is like a hawk, and there's no reason for Bouquet to be squandering a chance to be alone with Shu. She takes a step forward, and barely holds back a yelp as she trips on a crack in the ground and sends some pebbles scattering-

Shu whirls, standing, half in a combat stance and partially glowing, all in one motion. If she weren't concerned that he's nearly attacked her just now, she would be positively _ecstatic_ about how good his reflexes have gotten. (_So cool..._)

It takes a second, but recognition smoothes out the hostility on his face and lights up his eyes. "... Bouquet?" His tense posture relaxes. He straightens, letting his hands fall to his sides. "What are you doing here...?"

Bouquet giggles sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Darling. I didn't mean to startle you... I... well... I wanted to see if you were okay."

Shu flinches; just barely, but she notices it (she's been observing people a long time). He turns away from her. "I'm just... thinking."

"About Dragnov?" And she immediately curses herself for her stupidity. _Idiot! What are you saying _that_ for?_

Another flinch, but this time it's a harder one. "... A little." She knows that's hard for him to say. She also knows that that's a bit of an understatement. "It's just..." He surprises her by continuing. "... I was so weak. If... If I'd been stronger... Oji-san would be alive..." His shoulders tense, hands tightening into fists. "I'm too weak! We're going to face Nene, and I'm going to get us killed! ! !" There's a long pause, and Bouquet almost speaks, but Shu beats her to it. "... How could I live with myself, if one of you died because of me?" He sounds so _tortured_ over it... "Zola, Marumaro, Kluke, even Jiro..." He faces her again; his eyes look haunted. "... What if it was _you_, Bouquet?"

"M-me?" She doesn't know what prompts her to speak; she hasn't said anything up until now. Maybe it's just something about the way he said her name...

"You're important to me." There's such warmth in his voice when he says it that Bouquet wants to swoon. "If something happened to you... I would be... Well, 'upset' wouldn't even cover it."

"Darling..." She stares at him tenderly for a moment, then shakes her head. "You _won't_ fail, Darling. I know you won't. You're strong, and I..." She swallows past a sudden lump in her throat. "... I believe in you, Shu."

"Bouquet..." He says her name softly...

... which is exactly when she realizes how _close_ they are to each other. (When did that happen?)

"Shu..." She leans towards him, only half-conscious of the action, watching as his eyes slip shut as he moves towards her as well-

"_Bouquet_,_ would you wake up already_? ! !"

Bouquet yelps, flails in panic as she tries to figure out where she is. That's when she recognizes that she's staring at the sky, wrapped in her sleeping bag - and Kluke is glaring down at her. "_Finally_."

"Wh-Wha...?" It's the only thing Bouquet can get out.

"You overslept." Kluke snorts at her. "From what Zola said, we have two days of walking to get to Zashti as it is, and now you made us even _more_ late." The other girl straightens and then huffs angrily as she walks away. Bouquet thinks she hears Kluke muttering something along the lines of "should've tossed her overboard".

She sits up, clutching the sleeping bag around her, and looks around for Shu. She spots him near the campfire, sharing a slab of rock with Marumaro (who continuously repeats that he's hungry, and wishes that "Ochichi-sama" would get up and cook already). He looks half-asleep, and not at all melancholy. And decidedly _not_ about to kiss her, either.

She sighs wistfully. _Well... There's always next time._

_II._

"Give it _back_! ! !"

Shu is livid.

Bouquet, though, is gleeful. With a laugh, her feet dance around an annoyed Jiro and an even more annoyed Kluke. Shu reaches for her, and almost catches her - she feels a tug on her apron ties, and with an over-excited squeal, she darts to the left. She has some trouble getting her balance, but making the sharp turn has slowed Shu down (the fact that he's using one hand to hold his hair up helps, since that means he only has one free hand to steady himself), so that's the important part, she thinks.

The irony of it all is that she vowed to chase him to the ends of the earth, but now it's _him_ chasing _her_.

And all for a hair tie.

... She has a funny fiancé.

Shu growls angrily just behind her, and Bouquet considers the possibility that she may have made a mistake. But, darn it, it was _worth it_.

(Delight, at the softness of his hair and the way it curls around her fingers. Regret, at the fact that she only gets to run her fingers through it long enough to pull the hair tie out.)

Oh, well. If he strangles her, at least she's going to die happy. Though it would've been nice to marry him first... Can't have everything, she supposes-

By the time she sees Marumaro, it's too late to do anything about it.

As per usual, the Devee lunges for her with the intent of groping.

Out of reflex, Bouquet flinches away from, which is backwards.

And also straight into Shu.

In a mess of flying limbs and tumbling that she can't really keep track of, Marumaro goes soaring over hers and Shu's rolling bodies, which only come to a halt when their sides crash (painfully, _ow_) into a rock.

The next moment that she is aware of anything, Bouquet discovers that she's leaning over her Darling in an almost-but-not-quite compromising position. Shu is dazedly looking up at her, his hair fanned out around his head (likely during their fall, he was forced to let go of it), and his face is a little pinkish.

The first word to enter her mind: Opportunity.

The second one: Kiss.

And the third: Now.

"Oh, Darling..." She sighs dreamily, already leaning in-

-and screams as she feels sharp pulls on both of her pigtails and a familiar feminine shriek of rage in her ear. (And if Kluke yanks out her lovely, beautiful hair, she is going to wait til they're flying tomorrow and upend that stinking toolbox over the side of the mechat rail-!) "Get off him!"

"Get off my hair first!"

And in the resulting fight between the two girls, Shu discreetly snatches back his hair tie before making a quiet getaway, and Bouquet's kiss opportunity evaporates just like that.

Sitting, crossing her legs, and pouting after Kluke has stormed off, Bouquet tries not to feel too disappointed.

_III._

"Marumaro, I don't know about this..." Bouquet gives the Devee boy a skeptical look.

"C'mon, we're just going food shopping, maro." Marumaro slings a friendly arm over Noi's shoulders, whose looking slightly uncomfortable. "What's the worst that could happen, maro?"

(Translation: I'm going to look for girls and let Noi sneak sweets into the grocery basket. Keep an eye out for trouble, because I sure won't.)

Marumaro "sweet talks" her. "You're always doing the shopping for us, maro. Why don't you take a break for once, maro? And it would be nice to have some different food for a change, don't you think, maro?"

(Translation: You're always keeping an eye on me and so I never have time to look at cute girls. Stop being so overbearing. And if Shu tries to get me to eat anymore apples - because he has you and Noi enamored with the fruit, for whatever weird reason - I'm going to start throwing them at him.)

"Besides," he continues, and this is where he really starts to prod her, "don't you want to spend some time with Shu, maro?"

(Translation: Come on, now, don't turn your nose up at this - I'm giving you the opportunity of a lifetime, here.)

... Curse him. Curse Marumaro and his quick thinking and silver tongue.

"... Fine." Bouquet, aggravated, waves a hand in dismissal. And Marumaro is already pulling Noi by the arm, whooping in delight, so she raises a finger in the air as she takes on a scolding tone, "But don't take too long! And you'd better keep an eye on Noi-chan!"

"Don't add the 'chan'." The response from Noi is more automatic than anything, and lacks the vehemence that the phrase initially had when they met. Or it could just be that he's too dejected to put more emotion into it - he's wearing a look that's practically _screaming_ "save me". (As she's heard from Shu, being stuck with Marumaro while he's hunting for girls is not a very pleasant experience - when it isn't mind-numbingly boring, it's mind-numbingly dangerous.) Marumaro's tugging him along so fast, Noi barely has the time to say, "See you."

Bouquet feels bad about Noi... but she isn't about to waste a good chance like this, either. And with that thought in mind, she heads back to their campsite on the outskirts of town.

~.~.~.

When she returns, Bouquet finds Shu bent over their map with a look of unwavering concentration.

She huffs a little to herself in annoyance. Shu hardly slept at all last night, and now, during the day, he's working himself into the ground. She's starting to wonder if he even remembers what a break _is_.

... Well, then. As his fiancée, it is her duty to _see_ to this.

Bouquet walks towards him quietly, not making a sound (it's harder with shoes, but she's had practice moving silently or close to it for years). She stands right behind him, waiting for a few moments. Shu takes no notice of her presence, and only moves to trace a path on the map with his finger, likely plotting out the quickest route to their destination. After that, he goes still again. She counts out two heartbeats, and then reaches-

"_Hey_! !"

She ducks out of his reach, already rolling up the map in hand. "Sorry, Darling, but no more work for you today." Momentarily, she considers tossing the map into the campfire, just to ensure that it will no longer be a source of anxiety for her Shu.

She knows that it probably doesn't make sense to hold a grudge against a map.

She has never been known to do things just because they make sense (she does the opposite, if anything).

It's probably better not to burn it. He'll get even more upset than if she had just kept it away from him. Still... It would be incredibly satisfying...

Resolving to decide on the matter later, she stuffs it into her bag for the time being, which prompts Shu to snap out, "Give it back _now_."

"If you take a break, _maybe_ I'll think about giving it back."

After a long, long moment, Shu consents, swearing all the while.

~.~.~.

"Wow..." Shu says it breathlessly, staring at the scene in front of him.

She smiles at him sidelong. "It's nice, isn't it?" She absently smoothes her skirt, joining him in observing the view. From the grassy hilltop where they're sitting, it's possible to see the entire city they're camping near, as well as the surrounding forest. To the east, the beginnings of a field are barely visible. Between the hill and the city, clusters of colorful wildflowers dot the grass, and directly at the halfway mark is their campsite; it looks tiny from this distance.

"Yeah, it is." His voice is soft and quiet. Relaxed.

Bouquet stretches. "You see, Shu? All you needed was to take a break. You have to remember to take it easy once in a while, or you'll make yourself sick. Besides, isn't this nicer than working so hard?"

No response.

"... Shu?"

When there's still no response, Bouquet glances over at him - only to find Shu asleep.

"Oh, Darling..." She should be annoyed - this is a perfectly good opportunity going to waste - but she only feels fondness for him. His features are softened and untroubled. His hand is near his face, fingers curled gently and for once not tightened in a fist. He looks... peaceful, she decides.

She leans over, pushes some hair out of his face, and stares at him. _Shu..._

Bouquet doesn't quite know what it is that makes her lower her head towards his. But before she knows it, his mouth is inches from her own. She would only need to move a little closer to-

She pulls back, regretful. Bouquet would love nothing more than to kiss him (well, she loves Shu more than the prospect of kissing of him, but that isn't the _point_). But doing so while he's asleep feels wrong, as if she's stealing something from him. So she'll wait until he's awake. (She'll wait until he's ready.)

Bouquet lies on the grass, curling up beside him for a nap. At least it _kind of_ counts as spending time with him.

When she dreams, she dreams of him.

_IV._

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

... That's basically become her mantra for anything having to do with Shu.

So, when the attempted date fails, Bouquet is obviously disappointed - but Noi still needs at least a day for his ankle to heal, which means that they'll have a little downtime, and she doesn't plan on giving up so easily.

Without preamble, the following day she presents her proposition to a certain fiancé of hers.

Shu looks at her through lidded eyes. "Oh, because the last date went _so well_. You and I got separated, I had to fight the Superior Life Forms' leader _alone_, and we _just barely_ managed to save two cities from total annihilation." He gives a short pause that's purely for effect. "Yeah. We should really do that again sometime."

"_Please_, Shu?" She gives him "the eyes".

Shu stares at her hard before covering his face and groaning into his hands.

Bouquet cheers. He never was able to resist those googly-eyes.

~.~.~.

"... You're joking." He glances down at her, again through lowered lids.

"_Please_, Shu?" She _could_ use "the eyes"... but decides to save that as a last resort. For some reason, she doesn't want him to say yes because she persuaded him to.

"Bouquet!" He gives her an exasperated look. "We just ate lunch an hour ago!"

"This is a sweet shop." She says slowly, as if he's a small child. "Lunch and dessert are two different things."

"I'm not even that hungry..."

"You know," she looks at him slyly, "I hear they have really good apple pie here." The prompting with apples is a borderline cheap shot, but she knows he can't resist them, and the fact that she's mentioned the fruit still counts as not forcing him since he can still say no-

In a small voice, "... Apple pie?"

Victory is sweet.

~.~.~.

"You know," Shu is reluctant and a little embarrassed, but his happiness is glaringly obvious and outweighs everything else, "this _is_ really good." He laughs a little.

"Told you." Bouquet takes a bite of strawberry cheesecake, perfectly content.

_This_ date is going a heck of a lot better.

~.~.~.

Though Bouquet would like to stay out a little longer and do more stuff, she has to agree with Shu that they should head back to the inn rather than take their chances. Last thing they need is another fortuneteller that magically separates them and then turns into Rudolf before threatening to destroy the city.

... Not that it would happen _again_ - but with _their_ luck? Why tempt fate (and with such an easy opening)?

Shu stops walking in the hallway leading to their room. Since Bouquet is holding his arm, she stops as well, shooting him an inquisitive glance. Before she can ask, though, he softly says, "... I'm glad you convinced me to go - um - on a date with you. It was... fun." It's dark in here, but Bouquet thinks his face might be a little redder than normal. "Thank you."

"I had a good time, too. We should do it more often." Bouquet winks at him. Shu chuckles nervously. She softens. "... I'm glad you let me convince you." And then, before she's even really aware of what she's doing, Bouquet is leaning towards him on the tips of her toes-

She feels his arm stiffen under her fingers, and stops inches from his mouth.

_... Too soon, I guess._

She changes the destination, pressing her lips against his cheek. Even after all this time, she's never kissed him before, not even indirectly, and so she feels a definite thrill at the contact. "Thanks for going with me." She releases her hold on him and practically skips to her room.

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

Bouquet smiles to herself as she opens the door to their room and cheerfully greets Noi and Marumaro. It's for days like today that she keeps trying - sometimes it takes a while, but eventually it pays off.

_V._

She holds it up, staring down at the golden metal that reflects her smiling face.

A medal, for saving the world. Maybe other heroes wouldn't be satisfied with receiving such a thing; perhaps Shu and Marumaro aren't. Maybe it's simply too small of a reward for the great deed she has been a part of.

But Bouquet is proud of what she's accomplished, and the medal only makes her feel that much prouder. And besides, it's from a friend - Primula (and _her_) - so that makes it special.

"There you are. I was wondering what happened to you."

Her heart jumps a little, both because of who it is and what he's said. "That's some stunt you pulled with Blue Dragon back there. Primula and the Doctor looked as pale as a sheet, and Szabo looked like he was about to keel over." Bouquet faces him.

Shu flushes. "Sorry about that. Primula chewed me out afterwards. Well," he amends, "as much as Primula can chew anyone out. It was kind of awkward, actually. She seemed more embarrassed than I did, and she apologized every time she scolded me." The two of them laugh a little before Shu leans against the wall beside her. "She said that she's sorry, but she's going to have to give me some kind of punishment for it... She promised it wouldn't be anything serious, but said that I shouldn't make any plans to leave Nirvana for at least a week."

His words send her mind spiraling down an uncertain path. She looks up at the tall ceiling, which seems miles above her head, so high up that it's darkened by shadows. "So... What are you going to do now?"

Shu makes a sound of discomfort in the back of his throat. When she looks at him, he's staring at the ground, unease clear in the set of his face. "... I don't really know. I guess I'll probably go back to the Resistance camp. Turn in my tags and everything." Then, snorting at every Resistance member's running joke, he adds, "And see if that stingy Legolas will finally give me a decent paycheck." It startles a laugh out of her. Shu gives her a fond smile. "What are your plans for the future, Bouquet?"

"Marrying you, of course." The response is automatic, said with absolute seriousness and certainty.

But Shu looks more unsure than ever. "... I see."

Before Bouquet has a chance to even wonder about her reason for saying it, the words are out of her mouth, "How do you feel about me, Shu?" She realizes that she's angry all of a sudden, and doesn't know why.

(Maybe she's just tired of waiting.)

A range of things flit across his expression. Shock. Nervousness. Timidity. Anger. Hurt. "... Why are you asking me that?"

Impatient, Bouquet snaps, "Just answer the question." _Please._

He closes his eyes. "... It's not something that I can just... _answer_, like that."

"Why not?" When no answer is forthcoming, Bouquet says, "I love you."

Shu flinches like she's hit him.

"... But you don't." Taking the wordless response as his answer, she shoves the anger down, until it's hot and coiling in her stomach - trying to shove it away for the moment, though it remains omnipresent. Bouquet joins Shu in staring at the ground. "You don't even care about me."

Shu's breath hitches. There's a long, uncomfortable pause.

His voice, when it comes, is hard and almost-bitter. "You've saved my life more times than I can count. You stayed by my side when everyone else left. I listened to your every word, anticipating it and excited for it, when you told me about places around the world, just like you promised me you would. I got sick when I went out into the rain to get you an anniversary present. I charged into a barrage of gunfire, against orders, to cover you when you were shot in the leg, and didn't even care when the higher-ups gave me lashes for it." A second or two or three, and then he sounds practically _incensed_. "Of course I _care_ about you. I would _die_ for you. I didn't think I needed to spell that out."

Bouquet wonders how the conversation became so tense and heavy, how it seemed to happen in the blink of an eye - and knows that it's probably her fault. "I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean..."

Shu breathes out, and his anger is gone just like that. "It's okay. Don't worry about it."

She waits for a moment, then says, "You _care_ about me... but you don't _love_ me-"

Shu lets out a frustrated sound. "Don't _tell_ me how I feel-!"

Bouquet whirls so that she's fully facing him. "Then _you_ tell me-!"

And then his palm is touching her cheek, gently cradling. His eyes are so sad. "You don't get it _at all_, do you?"

His hand is warm on her face as she notices they're leaning towards each other-

-and then Shu is pulling away.

"Why?" And she knows, knows, _knows_ it isn't fair to him for her to ask, but she can't help it.

She's always been more than a little selfish when it comes to Shu.

"I'm sorry," and there are so many emotions thickening his voice, swirling in his eyes - so many that she can't even comprehend, one that she hopes isn't just wishful thinking on her part, and unfortunately the only one she's completely certain of is _pain_, "but I can't." His fingertips are whisper-soft on her cheek, ready to disappear at a moment's notice. "There are... things I have to decide. Things inside that I have to sort out... And it's not fair to you if I-" And he bites the sentence off with an angry half-growl, clenching the hand that isn't still touching her and looking for all the word like he's holding himself back from something. After a long moment, he lets out a long-suffering sigh. "... I just need you to _trust_ me, Bouquet. And I need you to give me time."

She gives him a tired smile, and spots two prominent emotions in his eyes: relief, and that same something she daren't hope for just yet. "I trust you, Shu. Always." She wonders if things will be different between them now. Somehow, it doesn't bother her too much. Bouquet can't help feeling that if things _do_ change, perhaps not all of the changes will be bad. "Don't keep me waiting _too_ long, though," and she has to giggle a little, because she just wouldn't be herself if she didn't add the next part, "or I'll have to chase after you."

_+1._

Nirvana sunsets are beautiful. A colorful swath of yellows, oranges, purples, pinks, and sometimes even a few more unusual colors - she'd been too concerned with getting _out_ of the city during her initial visit, but during following ones, she had long ago learned that this place is known for its particularly breathtaking views of the sky.

She wishes she could feel just as serene.

It's been exactly a year since that hurtful, painful, hopeful, awkward, aching, wistful moment in the White Brigade castle hall with Shu. But almost nothing has changed between them. If anything, their "engagement" feels more delicate and fragile than ever. Nowadays, every glance at each other, every smile in the other's direction, every simple word spoken in passing - it all feels _so heavy_ and _so hard_. She has half a year until she's fourteen, and she hasn't kissed _anyone_ before, let alone her Darling. Bouquet can't escape the feeling that her life is slipping through her fingers.

It is that moment, practically to the second, that she hears footsteps behind her. She knows who it is - she knows that gait better than her own.

The feet pause, close behind her. She sidles over on the roof's edge, hearing the catch of breath as she pats the new space directly to her right. After a beat, the invitation is accepted, and Shu sits and lets his legs dangle over the side like hers. "... Hey, Bouquet."

"... Hi, Shu."

They are only a few inches apart - not even an entire foot - yet it feels like he's a gaping chasm away from her, and Bouquet hates it (not him, never-ever him - but maybe herself, a little).

Bouquet shifts slightly. Shu fidgets a bit.

The following silence between them is not precisely tense, but it's far from comfortable. Eager to break it, Bouquet clears her throat before speaking up. "So, um... What've you been up to today?"

"Uh... Well... Not much..." He glances at her sideways for a long moment. And then something changes; he sets his shoulders, and his eyes flicker. Like he's made a decision. "... Mostly, though, I was talking to Kluke."

Something funny happens inside; it feels like a bucket of wriggling worms has been dumped out in her stomach. "Well, it's not like you were talking to her all day, were you?" It's meant to come out joking. Instead, it sounds light and feather-thin, and her throat feels like she's swallowed something sharp.

"... I kind of was."

"... Oh."

Huh. Maybe this is what guys feel like when they get kicked in the groin. If so, she needs to make a few tearful and heartfelt apologies to Marumaro.

Also, that swallowed-something-sharp feeling? Seems as though it's made a beeline for her heart.

"We, um-" Shu clears his throat, and starts tugging on his wristband almost hard enough to fray the threads. She's learned long ago that this is a nervous habit of his, mostly done when he's feeling shy or having difficulty saying whatever he's trying to say. "We were... kind of talking about _you_."

"Oh." She bites her lip and tries to keep herself from feeling nauseous. "That's... nice." The words are hardly anything substantial - not that their conversations have been all that _meaningful_ since a certain talk in a certain hallway - yet it takes such tremendous effort to get them out. She wants to run away and never stop, wants to just keep running until her legs give out and she _just can't go anymore_.

But she'll face this through, to the end. She's no quitter, and she's not about to start now, even though the thought of having her heart broken terrifies her out of her mind.

Shu lets out a ragged sigh, running a hand through his hair. That's another nervous habit he has - usually done in times of aggravation or frustration (or both). "Saying this is... a lot harder than I thought."

Her hands curl; she can feel her nails dig into her palms, but doesn't care that it stings. Something in her goes numb. "It's alright, Darling," but it's not, because he's probably about to tell her the words she's always dreaded hearing from him - _I'm sorry, Bouquet, but I don't love you_ - and she knows he'll do it gently because her Darling is sweet and kind and the best person in the world, but it's going to _hurt_ worse than anything she's ever experienced, and nothing will ever be "_right_" again- "You can tell me anything." The words come out as a carefully controlled whisper.

He yanks at the ends of his hair before letting his hand fall in his lap. There, he immediately begins to tug at his wristband. "Look, Bouquet, it's just that I-" His voice cracks on "I", and he turns tomato-red. In spite of herself, Bouquet smiles at him. While he still basically sounds the same (for now, anyway), his voice has started changing in the last month, and now it's gotten to the point where his voice is cracking several times a day - _every_ day. He sighs, takes three seconds to glare while rubbing at his traitorous larynx, clears his throat, then tries again. "It's just that I... have something really important to tell you, and I don't really know how to say it. But I'm going to try." The last bit comes out more than a little rushed.

She swallows, then forces a smile. She'll be strong. If nothing else, maybe Shu will be proud of her if she at least attempts to be strong.

"So... I was talking to Kluke. About a lot of things." He smiles to himself; his eyes go warm and soft. "I'd forgotten how much I missed Kluke, as a friend. I've known her for almost my whole life, you know? It isn't until... these recent years... that we've been apart... I forgot how much I depend on her."

Normally, Bouquet would be inwardly wailing at how Shu is talking about depending on Kluke. But almost everything has screeched to a halt in her mind, all except for one phrase: _As a friend._

It... couldn't be...

... Could it?

"But, you know, Bouquet..." He gives her a fond look. "More recently, I've found myself leaning on you instead."

The worms in her stomach have vacated, with butterflies taking their place.

"But, today... I was thinking about all of this while I talked to Kluke. So after we had... discussed a few things... I asked her for some advice. And, like always," he smirks and snorts at some private joke, "she set me straight."

He straightens suddenly, repeats both nervous habits, and stares at his knees. "And... This is where it gets a little tricky..." He squeezes his eyes shut. "It shouldn't be this hard." He opens them again, and looks at her. "B-but... I _need_ to say this... So I'm just going to say it." She hears the silent, _I hope._

He gazes straight into her eyes. "Bouquet... You... You're really important to me. When everyone else was gone, you were still there with me. And I'm more grateful for that than I could ever put into words." He blinks quickly. "But... I guess, the point is that I... I've been really confused about some things. And it's taken me a long time to sort through it all. But now I think I know... No," and for the first time since he spoke about Kluke being his friend, his eyes look steady. "It's taken a long time, but now I'm _sure_ of it."

Her heart is beating fast. "Sh-Shu..."

The next moment happens quickly. His confidence evaporates instantaneously, he reaches over to grab her hands, and quite suddenly he's saying in a confused and mashed-together rush, "_Woulditscrewupthefiancé-thingifIaskedyoutokinda-sortagooutwithme_?" His voice is in a place somewhere far beyond cracking now.

"... I think I need you to say that a little slower." Hopefully not too slow, though. He might actually need to hurry, because Bouquet may pass out at any moment from pure, undiluted bliss.

"W-w-would... Would it screw up-" Another voice-cracking. A moment taken to swear. "- the- the fiancé-thing... i-if..." Swallows hard - and then a sudden calm comes over him, just as suddenly as the nervousness had. "... if I asked you to kinda-sorta go out with me?"

_... Oh, Shu._

Since the odd phrase strikes her as incredibly endearing, Bouquet can't help but ask about it. "... Kinda-sorta?"

Shu flushes again. "... Kinda-sorta."

"... No." And because she catches how Shu's face rapidly starts falling, she quickly adds, "No, it wouldn't mess anything up." Apparently, he's forgotten how he phrased it. Not that she blames him - it happened only a moment ago, yet she's already starting to forget. Her mind is kind of on other things right now.

Shu smiles at her, more than a little bashful. "... Really?"

Bouquet nods. "Really."

"So, um," and now he looks _really_ embarrassed, "do you mind, uh, I mean, is it okay if I-?" He lets out a frustrated breath. "... Can I kiss you?"

Bouquet spends a long few seconds in shock. Then, she grins. "... Thought you'd never ask."

With a conflicting yet matching softness and determination mixing together in his eyes, Shu leans forward. Heart skipping a beat, she leans towards him as well-

-and then Shu is pulling back, spare inches from her face. She feels a combination of confusion and hurt, so familiar to that of a year ago - why did he ask to kiss her if he wasn't even going to _do_ anything-?

Breath rolls over her lips, warm and smelling faintly of apples. "... I love you, Bouquet."

There's only enough time for her breath to catch in her throat before he's kissing her.

It's soft, gentle, just a simple pressing of lips, but it sends tingles down her spine. He's hesitant, and a little timid, but there's a strong and steady undercurrent of determination and caring - the mixture is utterly and undeniably her Shu.

The kiss lasts for a long time, and when they separate she's so happy that it _would_ be more than enough...

But she's been waiting nearly three and half years for this. And Bouquet wants _more_.

She wants a deeper kiss, not just a gentle meeting of lips. She wants to wrap her arms around his neck, tangle her hands in his hair. She wants him breathless with swollen lips, eager to kiss her again without any warning or indication.

And that's when an interesting idea comes to her.

Suddenly, Bouquet smirks mischievously, very aware of how the not-so-innocent grin on her face is surprising her Darling. But she can't help it, as a notable thought has just occurred to her - she's been trying for three years to kiss Shu, and he's finally been kind enough to do her a _favor_ and kiss her instead (which she knows, despite him being the one to ask, must have been difficult; her fiancé is terribly shy concerning matters such as these). And it's been quite a while since she's had any favors she needed to return, so she might be a bit out of practice-

She lunges, relishing in Shu's sharp and startled (shocked, not unpleased, and if she has her way he'll be _begging_ for more) gasp as she kisses him not-quiet roughly - but definitely fiercely. (He's likely going to be flustered and embarrassed after this, but flustering him has always been one of her guilty pleasures, and oh, she is going to get _so_ used to this...)

-but Bouquet is nothing if not a member of the Ra Clan, and Ongaishi _always_ return the favor.

… **And it's done! :D (… Took long enough. Yeesh.) You know, it's odd – I had come prepared to say that I loathed this thing and just put it up because I didn't want to take anymore time, but as I read through it during my pre-posting editing, I realized that I actually like it quite a bit. I especially liked +1, and had a lot of fun writing (and, now, reading) 3.**

**So! If you can, please review and let me know what you think! :) Since this isn't on the poll, it won't effect which story is updated next. I think most people who were going to vote have already done it, but if you haven't and would like to, you're more than welcome to do so. :) **_**Yami no Himitsu**_** is currently in the lead, so I'll continue working on it; the chapter is basically thought out in my head, so I just have to word it and fill in some gaps between scenes. Anyway, that's all for now. Thanks for reading! :) And before I go:**

**Happy Birthday, Ultimashadow! :D**


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